Starters: Kevin Huber continued to hold position as one of the top 10 punters in the league. His net average of 40.7 was tied for seventh in the NFL. Unfortunately, his season was cut short by a vicious hit on a punt return in Pittsburgh that broke his jaw. Mike Nugent tied for the fewest attempts (22) among regular kickers and made 18 of them. Brandon Tate (below) took on the majority of return duties with Adam Jones spending more time at cornerback. Tate finished 13th in average punt return yards and ninth in average kickoff return yards.

Backups: Zoltan Mesko joined the team in place of Huber and one-week experiment Shaun Powell. He won't return.

Special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons chats about his group.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

The 81.8 field-goal percentage from Nugent ranked 23rd in the NFL last year. This nearly matched his percentage from 2012, when he hit 19 of 23 field goals. That year he ranked 20th in field-goal percentage (82.6). The top 11 kickers in the league last year all hit 90 percent or better on field goals. Matt Prater of Denver led the league at 96.2 percent.

FREE AGENCY OUTLOOK:

The Bengals could keep Tate at a bargain price, but expect them to weigh other options at returner as the season draws closer.

DRAFT OUTLOOK:

At the very least, expect the Bengals to bring in a kicker to challenge Nugent. Whether they draft someone or prioritize a college free agent, somebody will push him. If any player the Bengals target also boasts return skills, he will move up the team's draft board.

STATUS REPLENISHED:

Special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons saw an influx of new faces beyond his specialists and suffered growing pains as they figured out the NFL. By the end of the season the pains began to pay off in the form of big plays. The nucleus should be back, assuming the team holds on to Vinny Rey and Cedric Peerman.

CONFIDENCE RANKING FOR 2014 SEASON:

Seventh. Of the nine position groups, this one ranks seventh. The team could find a more explosive returner and more accurate kicker, but the progress of the new players was encouraging.

COACHSPEAK:

Special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons on KR/PR Tate:

"Everybody wants to jump on Brandon Tate all the time. The returner's No.1 objective when the ball is kicked is to make sure we end up with it at the end of the play. Historically, that's something he's been very good at. People lose sight of that."